Police plan to sue the suspects accused of staging a bogus kidnapping in Durban on Friday‚ The Star newspaper reported.
One-month-old baby Siwaphiwe Mbambo was snatched during what was reported as a hijacking on Friday afternoon.
“This was a false case and cost us money and resources that could have been deployed in other places‚” said Major-General Bala Naidoo‚ KwaZulu-Natal deputy provincial commissioner for the detective service.
The search for baby Siwaphiwe sparked a massive police hunt last week and spawned the hashtag #BringBackDurbanBaby.
The police operation involved officers‚ vehicles and even aircraft. Members of the community also took part in the search.
Police had offered a reward of R250‚000 for information regarding the kidnapping.
The bill for the operation could easily total R500‚000‚ a source told The Star.
Three suspects are expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Monday. The suspects include the baby’s mother and her boyfriend.